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Bound for the Promised Land

Joshua 5:9  “And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal (rolling) unto this day. “

In the case of the children of Israel, they lived under the reproach of having surrendered to Egypt, being held as slaves in their dominion. Even after having escaped by the strong hand, and with the stretched out arm of God, they were mocked from Egypt, as seen in Exodus 32:12 .

“Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. “

also in Moses prayer, in Numbers 14:14-16, ” And they (the Egyptians) will tell it to the inhabitants of this land:” “Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. Numbers 14:15-16 see Deuteronomy 9:28, 32:27.

What does it mean for us? As Israel remained under the taunt and mockery of their old master, it was now rolled off of them. Likewise, we no longer belong to our old sin nature as a slave to it. Just as Israel were slaves in Egypt, we were slaves to sin and its domination. Brought out from the dominion of sin at Salvation, the Old sin nature remained with us as an option. See 1John 1:8-10. So,

“He brought out Israel from among them …With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: .” To Him which divided the Red sea into parts: And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: ” Psalm 136:12-15  . 

Yes, by grace were we saved through faith, the gift of God, at our “red sea” experience. However, as Israel sojourned 40 years in wilderness, so we may struggle with escaping our old dominion experientially– but now, having gone through the Jordan River, (our co-crucifixion with Christ), we begin to experience the victory won at the event of our salvation. We enter into resurrected life.

Beloved, remember this, “He remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever: “Psalm 136:23 

Our low estate was exposed and magnified in our struggle, (40years for Israel ), then majestically brought through death at Jordan.

Now we circumcise the men. What mean? Joshua 5:2-5

“The hill of the foreskins v.3— the hill where the foreskins, the emblem of all worldly and carnal affections, were buried.” Barnes Notes

The picture clears as we see not only death at Jordan, but burial here at Gilgal. Then they celebrated the Passover feast, a clear picture of the means of deliverance — the blood of a lamb! see Romans 5:9, Hebrews 9:14. Revelation 13:8. They fed themselves on the unleavened bread, symbolizing our feeding on Christ, see John 6 — This was the heavenly manna, as the earthly manna ceases in the Promised land. Joshua 5:12

They ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year, which was corn — a symbol of resurrected life. Joshua 5:11.

Joshua 5:13-15  “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?  And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?  And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou stands is holy. And Joshua did so. 

In closing, what does it mean?

(1). “To justify the war Joshua was engaging in, and to show him that it was of God, who gave him commission to kill and slay. If the sovereign draw the sword, this proclaims war, and authorizes the subject to do so too. (2.) To encourage him to carry it on with vigor; for Christ’s sword drawn in his hand denotes how ready he is for the defense and salvation of his people, who through him shall do valiantly. Matthew Henry

Beloved, as we reckon ourselves dead indeed unto sin, we are alive unto God. Dead, friends, our life is hid with Christ in God. Translated from the kingdom of darkness, we now live in the sphere of God’s dear Son.

love ya.

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